Israel, California sign pact to work on cybersecurity, energy, water conservation

Wednesday

Mar 5, 2014 at 9:12 PM

By Martha Mendoza THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a swing through the Silicon Valley to meet with high-tech leaders and sign a pro-business agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown.

During a meeting at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the two emphasized their joint interests in cybersecurity, energy sources and water conservation, and suggested Israel — an arid country with a growing population — might be able to help California cope with its ongoing drought.

''California doesn't need to have a water problem,'' Netanyahu said. ''Israel has no water problems because we are the number one recyclers of wastewater, we stop water leaks, we use drip irrigation and desalination.''

Brown said he would welcome their ideas.

''Israel has demonstrated how efficient a country can be, and there is a great opportunity for collaboration,'' Brown said.

This is the first California visit from an Israeli prime minister since 2006, and Netanyahu planned stops at Stanford University, Apple Inc. in Cupertino, as well as a meeting with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant who sold his company to Facebook Inc. for $19 billion last month.

The agreement signed by the leaders follows on several decades of commitments from California and Israel to promote trade, research and economic development.

''The best brains in the world are in Silicon Valley and Silicon Wadi,'' said Netanyahu, referring to Israel's tech startup region. And he asked Brown to help get direct flights between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Hundreds of Israeli firms are working in partnership with California companies, and in Silicon Valley ties are particularly tight, with more than 150 Israeli startups based there, according to the consulate general of Israel in Los Angeles.

Joint Venture Silicon Valley President Russell Hancock said Silicon Valley has become a mandatory stop for state visitors.

This year both the French and Haitian prime ministers have toured tech giants in the region. And he said the region has many interests in common with Israel.

'A valley strength'

''Israel is particularly strong in cybersecurity, which makes sense given their strong military orientation, use of unmanned air vehicles, and their national security vulnerabilities,'' he said. ''Security is also a valley strength and destined to be a big growth area for us, so it's natural for there to be some convergence between us.''